28 January 2016 Current Affairs
Names of First 20 Smart Cities Announced
“Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu in New Delhi on 28 January 2016 announced the names of first 20 cities that are to be developed into Smart Cities of India with a proposed investment of Rs 50,802 crore during the next five years. Bhubaneswar emerged on top among 20 cities
These are: Bhubaneswar (Odisha), Pune (Maharashtra), Jaipur (Rajasthan), Surat (Gujarat), Kochi (Kerala), Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh), Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Sholapur (Maharashtra), Davangere (Karnataka), Indore (Madhya Pradesh), New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC, Delhi), Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu), Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh), Belagavi (Karnataka), Udaipur (Rajasthan), Guwahati (Assam), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Ludhiana (Punjab), and Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh).
These cities were chosen from 98 cities shortlisted for the ‘Smart Cities Mission’.”
Asian Development Bank and Government of India signed $80 million loan agreement
“The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed an $80 million loan agreement. This $80 million loan will be used for the development of infrastructure in two North Eastern State Capital cities- Agartala and Aizwal. This agreement was signed on January 28, 2016.
The loan is the third tranche of a $200 million financing facility under the North Eastern Region Capital cities Development Investment Program.
This loan will be used for investments in water supply, solid waste management and sanitation in Agartala and Aizwal.
It will benefiting nearly a million people residing in Agartala and Aizwal and around the cities.
This loan will also help Agartala and Aizwal to strengthen the institutional, managerial, and financial capacity of service institutions.
The third tranche loan agreement was signed in the presence of Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary (Multilateral Institutions), Department of Economic Affairs, Union Ministry of Finance and Ms Teresa Kho, Country Director, ADB’s India Resident Mission on behalf of Asian Development Bank (ADB). Separate sub project agreements under the third tranche were also signed.”
Astronomers discover largest solar system
A team of astronomers of UK, USA and Australia have found the largest known solar system, linking together a star and what was thought to be a free-floating ‘lonely planet’ in orbit some 1 trillion (1 million million) kilometres away from its sun.The planet, known as 2MASS J2126–8140, and its star, called TYC 9486–927–1, were both identified within the past decade, but the massive distance between them meant no one had ever considered that the pair might be related. 2MASS J2126–8140 is a gas giant about 12 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter, located about 100 light-years away from Earth. 2MASS J2126–8140’s distance from its star is around 7,000 times the distance between Earth and the Sun and about 140 times the distance between Pluto and the Sun.
Justice Sanjay Mishra appointed as Lokayukta of Uttar Pradesh
On 28 January 2016 the Supreme Court appointed former judge of the Allahabad High Court Justice Sanjay Mishra as the Lokayukta of Uttar Pradesh.The Supreme Court in December 2015 passed order appointing Justice Virendra Singh as Lokayukta of Uttar Pradesh. It was the first time that apex court exercised its powers to appoint a Lokayutka.The apex court utilised its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to enforce its own orders to do complete justice.
India successfully test fired Akash missile at Chandipur
On 28 January 2016,Indian Air Force (IAF) test fired indigenously-built surface-to-air Akash missile from Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipuri in Odisha. The Akash (sky) is a mid-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system.The first missile was delivered to the IAF in March 2012. The missile was formally inducted into the IAF in July 2015. The missile can fly at supersonic speeds ranging from Mach 2.8 to 3.5 and can engage aerial targets up to a range of approximately 25 kilometers.
Navneet Kaur, Santosh Kadale won gold in Senior National Rowing Championship
Punjab’s Navneet Kaur won two gold medals in the 34th National Rowing Championship at Hussainsagar Lake in Hyderabad on 28 January 2016. In the men single scull, Nasik’s 21-year-old Santosh Kadale won his maiden national gold medal.It was a major jump from the bronze he won in last year’s Challenger National at Bangalore, albeit in double scull.